Hello everybody, I’m Chithra. Welcome to Cafetude. This blog is all about celebrating food. I’m a certified foodie who has probably visited only a few restaurants or bakeries in my lifetime!  

Although I started cooking only after my marriage (barring only a handful of times before that), it was my little boy who “kicked” me into baking, while pregnant.  I only knew the definition of craving back then.  But after pregnancy, I started “feeling” what craving is all about.  That’s when I realized that there is no thin line between wanting / wishing and craving!  The difference between the two is analogous to the ant & the blue whale. And there started my love for baking. I started cooking dishes that I only could have imagined seeing on the menu of posh restaurants.

This blog relates to vegetarian food. It is no exaggeration to say that I was born vegetarian thanks to my cultural background. Vegetarianism, by default, means lacto-vegetarianism.  I’d love to turn vegan someday – the only thing that comes in between me and vegan-ism is dairy. How to find an acceptable substitute for the milk in my morning coffee? And not to mention the yogurt. When I could replace the milk and yogurt in my current diet, that day I’d be vegan.

I love to bake and cook for my family. The smile on the face of your loved ones, after they taste the food cooked / baked by you, is something priceless.  Cooking at home is a labor of love.  It might intimidate you at first but once you reap those fruits of your hard work, you will never go back to any boxed mixes or even frequent dine-outs.  

I try to buy as much local and/or organic as possible. I detest the presence of artificial preservatives / flavors / colors in food.  I strongly believe that good food begins with naturally good and fresh ingredients. Notoriously sweet-toothed, I don’t refrain myself from hot and spicy foods either. I’m the kind that looks up the dessert menu first, even before ordering appetizers or beverages. Last but not the least, I cannot survive even a day without brewed coffee.

Feel free to leave in your comments, suggestions and feedback.  You are welcome to report any kind of error.